Status: 07/23/2022 1:55 p.m
The forest fires have not spread further on France’s Atlantic coast. Lightning caused small fires in South Tyrol. In Greece, there is a fire in the Dadia National Park, the largest forest area in south-eastern Europe.
The forest fires that have been raging for more than a week have stopped spreading on the French Atlantic coast. Some residents were able to return to their homes, the prefecture said. So far, more than 20,600 hectares of land have been destroyed by two major fires near Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch. Thousands of people were evacuated to safety.
Spain is already reporting the most devastating year of forest fires since records began. So far, almost 2000 square kilometers have burned down, which corresponds to about 80 percent of the area of Saarland. With the exception of one fire on Tenerife, all fires are now largely under control.
Fire in Greece
There are also fires in Greece: In the Dadia National Park, in the east of the Greek mainland, a major fire destroyed one of the largest forest areas in south-eastern Europe. There is also a large fire on the island of Lesbos, and there are also smaller fires on the Peloponnese. Meanwhile, the majority of the 86 Greek fire-fighting planes and helicopters are in use, according to civil defense.
In the coming days it should remain dry and hot in Greece – the “perfect backdrop” for further forest fires, meteorologists warned.
Lightning ignites forest fires in South Tyrol
A violent thunderstorm with numerous lightning strikes has led to small forest fires in South Tyrol. A number of trees also fell. Even in South Tyrol, which is not actually a forest fire area, it is too dry because it hardly rains and has snowed little in winter.
The province of Bolzano declared a water emergency in the Adige area. Water may no longer be used there during the day to water public and tourist green spaces. For the weekend, the heat warning level was red due to temperatures around 38 degrees.